The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has described as outlandish allegations of corruption leveled against her by colleague Member of Parliament Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
“They are patently false and I challenge [Kennedy Agyapong] to come forward with evidence that corroborates his outlandish allegations,” Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said in a statement dated September 1, 2017.
Mr Agyapong had alleged that the Communications Minister, who is also MP for Ablekuma West Constituency, is supervising corruption in the award of contracts for the implementation of the National Identification System.
He was invited by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to provide evidence.
Last Wednesday, Director of Communications at the Presidency Eugene Arhin told TV3 that Mr Agyapong had provided the evidence of his allegations and the CID will continue the investigation process.
Ultra vires
Welcoming the development though she claims not having been contacted yet, the Communications Minister categorically stated that the National ID System will be supervised by the National Identification Authority (NIA), an agency which is directly under the Office of the President.
“The falsehoods are clearly borne of ignorance so it is important to clarify that the NIA is not an agency of the Ministry of Communications; that is why the directive was signed by the Chief of Staff in the office of the President.”
The legal practitioner, therefore, said “I did not and could not have awarded the contract for the NID, or indeed oversee the process.
“It would have been ultra vires.”
The Ministry, for the records, is a key stakeholder of the implementation of the national ID system. The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Births and Deaths Registry are among other stakeholders.
She called for a swift resolution of the issue, urging her family, friends and sympathizers to remain calm.
“I will cooperate with the law enforcement agencies to ascertain the truth.
“A strong message needs to be sent out to those who deliberately disseminate disinformation.”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana